Filmmaker in Attendance
The Lake Sturgeon has existed virtually unchanged for more than 130 million years. It survived a meteor impact and outlived the dinosaurs but we’ve found out it couldn’t survive in the face of human development. With only 1 percent remaining in the Great Lakes, conservationists in Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay are working to bring this iconic species back.
Filmmaker in Attendance
Mud-thick boots, cold farmers, an adze chopping holes for tiny trees in a huge field. These are memorable images from a film that follows one recent restoration project of Ohio’s Black Swamp Conservancy to tell the larger story of the history and mission of the Conservancy.
Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance, Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere, World Premiere
Grant takes an unconventional road trip in a tiny 33 year old kei car from Japan, with a simple goal: to challenge the narrative that electric vehicles are the greener choice.
Filmmaker in Attendance, Family Friendly, Student Filmmaker
A look at the annual efforts to deploy and maintain the data collecting buoys by the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee’s School of Freshwater Sciences. From scientists and sailors to weather forecasters and beachgoers, these buoys play an integral part of our lives to help us better understand and respond to the changing conditions of the Great Lakes.
Filmmaker in Attendance, Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere, World Premiere, Representative in Attendance
From Rugg Pond Dam on the Rapid River in Kalkaska County to the Crystal River in Leelanau County, this film follows the Conservation Resource Alliance’s River Care program and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians as they restore Northern Michigan’s rivers—reconnecting waters, renewing habitats, and honoring cultural ties.
Filmmaker in Attendance, Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere, World Premiere
Green Bay Lake Sturgeon during their spring spawning run are blocked from traveling up the Menominee River by the first set of dams. The 12-minute documentary explores the sturgeon lift operation, how the sturgeon make their way past the dams and spawn 22 miles upriver at the Grand Rapids Dam.
Has Subtitles
In the Dominican Republic, baseball is more than just a sport—it’s a way of life. Every child dreams of playing in the “big leagues,” and nearly every adult knows someone who has. However, as the nation’s passion for baseball flourishes, its natural environment is under threat from rapid development. Mangroves, which provide vital ecological benefits, are being destroyed to make way for new infrastructure. Despite this, there is hope.
Filmmaker in Attendance, Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere
A hauntingly beautiful conservation documentary that follows wildlife researchers from Birds Canada and the University of Waterloo deep into the forests of southwestern Ontario, Canada to uncover the mysterious world of the Eastern Whip-poor-will — a nocturnal bird whose call once echoed across the night, and is now slowly falling silent.
Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere
A team of evolutionary biologists from the University of Idaho travels to the Galápagos Islands to solve the Earth’s biodiversity crisis. The twist? They aren’t studying the iconic tortoises or blue footed boobies on this storied archipelago—they are Snail Hunters, studying a more unlikely subject in the crucible of evolution. By understanding the unique traits that make snails a champion of coexistence, the multi-disciplinary scientists hope to unlock a brighter future for humanity and the planet.
Filmmaker in Attendance, Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere
Filmed over two field seasons spanning three years, The Bird House tells the story of the impacts of weather, storms and high water at Canada’s most isolated bird banding and research station located at the tip of a 20-mile long wind-swept sandspit in the middle of Lake Erie.
Family Friendly, First Time Filmmaker
A team of 15 multiple myeloma survivors, care partners, and world-renowned physicians, embarks on the Iceland Cycling Expedition (ICE). Their mission: to cycle through Iceland’s rugged landscape to raise critical funds for groundbreaking myeloma research.
Filmmaker in Attendance, Subject in Attendance, Family Friendly, Staff Pick
Against the backdrop of the sixth mass extinction, an all-woman team of biologists set out to save bats from a deadly fungal disease, but when the COVID-19 pandemic interrupts their work, they are sent down a path of discovery that illuminates the connections between bat conservation and the spread of infectious disease.
Filmmaker in Attendance, Michigan Premiere, World Premiere
The film tells the story of how researchers discover ‘lingering ash’ trees, and use them to genetically breed emerald ash borer resistant trees. They hope to someday plant resistant trees back in forests across the country. A production from Points North Podcast & The Boardman Review in partnership with Great Lakes Now / Detroit PBS.
Michigan Premiere
Explore the evolution and transformation of a stretch of the Chicago River into a thriving habitat and neighborhood fixture through the Wild Mile, the world’s first floating eco-park planned and developed by nonprofit Urban Rivers.
Has Subtitles, Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere, First Time Filmmaker, Staff Pick
In the late 1970s, Satish Bhaskar embarked on an epic journey along India’s coastline and the spectacular Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where he uncovered the vital nesting beaches of sea turtles. During his death-defying quest, he unravels mysteries surrounding these enigmatic ocean creatures – and sets out to save them from extinction.
Family Friendly, Michigan Premiere, Filmmaker in Attendance
In the face of climate change, Wisconsin conservationists are protecting the plants and wildlife at Rush Creek State Natural Area. Using fire and innovative adaptive techniques, their proactive approach offers a model for building resilience across our natural spaces in an uncertain future. In partnership with the Natural Resources Foundation of WI.